The Board remands the claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder, namely major depressive disorder with psychotic features, to include as secondary to service connected disabilities, for a new etiology opinion.
The deciding factor: The March 2021 VA examination did not adequately address whether the Veteran's psychiatric disorder was aggravated by his service-connected disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Major depressive disorder with psychotic features
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 21, 2025
- Citation
- A25036189
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, was granted due to the aggravation of a pre-existing condition by active duty service. However, other claims for various disabilities were denied.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for specially adapted housing and special home adaptation grant due to a lack of eligibility based on her service-connected disabilities.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for right lower extremity sciatica associated with the Veteran's service-connected lumbosacral spine strain, but remanded claims for service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and sleep apnea.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his lung cancer was related to his service-connected melanoma.
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